Will be interesting to see if the Lockdown Format returns tomorrow or Wednesday in view of tonight’s announcement.
It is a possibility if ITV want to keep numbers low. Lorraine will probably stay separate as they have figured out how to do it as safety and with Dr H on the programme it can sometimes feel like the the 4th Hour of GMB.
I do think that the news-half hour could be cut. And I noticed that there was none of the camera trickery this morning either
I guess the only thing with Lorraine is if they want to keep Loose Women going this time around moving Lorraine to the GMB set saves having to strike the sets every day.
I guess the only thing with Lorraine is if they want to keep Loose Women going this time around moving Lorraine to the GMB set saves having to strike the sets every day.
They have to strike the set anyway not just for Loose Women but also Peston and Sunday Brunch.
I don't wish to get into "I watched this for two minutes and it was rubbish", but I do keep an eye on this programme, mostly because I'm fascinated by its appalling timekeeping. And the 7am top of the hour sequence this morning was at 7.12.
Now, again, it's perfectly fine to miss the top of the hour a bit if an interview has overrun or there's been some breaking news, Breakfast does that all the time. But by twelve minutes?! The reason they didn't do it at 7am is because they were doing an interview with someone in Sydney about the new social media trolling law in Australia, which went on until 7.06. An interesting story, yes, but worth continuing with at length and delaying the news on today of all days? And even when that finished, there was a bit of chat between Piers and Susanna, then the weather, then after the top of the hour sequence, still not the headlines but Piers and Susanna talking about the news and a bit of business about the wrong clip being played. And then a report on the main story, at 7.15. By which point, of course, the Beeb and Sky have gone through a report on the main story, a bit of analysis, the day's other news and some relevant interviews.
Now I know that complaining that Good Morning Britain features Piers Morgan talking at length and riding roughshod over the running order is like complaining Match of the Day features too much football, that is the point of the programme. But nobody is telling me that the audience should turn on at 7am, the morning after lockdown was announced the previous evening, and have to wait fifteen minutes to get the headlines. You can say, oh, nobody's watching Good Morning Britain for that, they watch it because they like Piers talking and you're looking at in bad faith because everyone knows it's like this. In which case, why bother with the news at all? They're happy to say they're a serious news programme when it's to their benefit (ie, trying to get government ministers on), so they should act like one.
They can do what they like for the rest of the hour, really. They only need to hit the top of the hour twice in the entire programme. It's surely not much to ask that when the audience are waking up and tuning in at 7am and 8am (which people do, they can't be expected to watch the whole programme) that they can at least get the headlines fairly sharpish before endless chat. I'm sure Piers is happy to complain every time the Prime Minister saunters in late for a press conference, what's the difference?
There's so much crap on screen constantly on Good Morning Britain, and they have these fancy Top Of The Hour sequences, but the former is no use if you still haven't a clue what's happening next and the latter is useless if it's on at twelve minutes past the hour. I honestly don't know why this programme can't have a timetable the audience can understand and they try and stick to. It's no service to the viewer. Totally baffling.
I don't wish to get into "I watched this for two minutes and it was rubbish", but I do keep an eye on this programme, mostly because I'm fascinated by its appalling timekeeping. And the 7am top of the hour sequence this morning was at 7.12.
Now, again, it's perfectly fine to miss the top of the hour a bit if an interview has overrun or there's been some breaking news, Breakfast does that all the time. But by twelve minutes?! The reason they didn't do it at 7am is because they were doing an interview with someone in Sydney about the new social media trolling law in Australia, which went on until 7.06. An interesting story, yes, but worth continuing with at length and delaying the news on today of all days? And even when that finished, there was a bit of chat between Piers and Susanna, then the weather, then after the top of the hour sequence, still not the headlines but Piers and Susanna talking about the news and a bit of business about the wrong clip being played. And then a report on the main story, at 7.15. By which point, of course, the Beeb and Sky have gone through a report on the main story, a bit of analysis, the day's other news and some relevant interviews.
Now I know that complaining that Good Morning Britain features Piers Morgan talking at length and riding roughshod over the running order is like complaining Match of the Day features too much football, that is the point of the programme. But nobody is telling me that the audience should turn on at 7am, the morning after lockdown was announced the previous evening, and have to wait fifteen minutes to get the headlines. You can say, oh, nobody's watching Good Morning Britain for that, they watch it because they like Piers talking and you're looking at in bad faith because everyone knows it's like this. In which case, why bother with the news at all? They're happy to say they're a serious news programme when it's to their benefit (ie, trying to get government ministers on), so they should act like one.
They can do what they like for the rest of the hour, really. They only need to hit the top of the hour twice in the entire programme. It's surely not much to ask that when the audience are waking up and tuning in at 7am and 8am (which people do, they can't be expected to watch the whole programme) that they can at least get the headlines fairly sharpish before endless chat. I'm sure Piers is happy to complain every time the Prime Minister saunters in late for a press conference, what's the difference?
There's so much crap on screen constantly on Good Morning Britain, and they have these fancy Top Of The Hour sequences, but the former is no use if you still haven't a clue what's happening next and the latter is useless if it's on at twelve minutes past the hour. I honestly don't know why this programme can't have a timetable the audience can understand and they try and stick to. It's no service to the viewer. Totally baffling.
and without sounding petty, one would think that going into the
third
national lockdown might encourage ITV to strip GMB back to how it was in March - Piers/Ben & Susanna/Kate at the desk from 6-9, Dr Hillary in the studio plus whoever is doing the weather. Was Richard Arnold in the studio today?
Having set times on breakfast shows is really important so that people know when they need to get ready for school and go to work.... oh wait...
Most people are still working, whether at home or still leaving the house as key workers, and of course getting ready for home schooling. By that logic, why bother starting it at 6am? Put it on at eleven so everyone can get a lie-in.
But I don’t get why timings get some forumers so wound up. If you want a formulaic format, you have the BBC and Sky. Why shouldn’t ITV offer something different, where if a story needs more time they give it?
Fairly rigid timekeeping at Breakfast is important, because even if you are not giving the show your full attention, and you are keeping one ear onto in the background, hearing the Top of the Hour sequence, or even a timecheck off the presenter does sometimes help the viewer 'orientate' at that time of the day.
As Steve said, going to the TOH sequence at 7.12 this morning - no matter how important the subject matter for that interview which seriously overran was- simply wasn't good enough, and for those viewers who put the show on at 6.58 wanting the headlines at 7, would have long gone to find them on BBC Breakfast or Sky News before then.
GMB like to make out they're the quirky alternative offering when it suits them, and then make out they're the country's most vital hard news source when they're throwing a strop about politicans declining to appear, while in reality, they can't even get the basics right.
As Steve said, it's fair enough to be a couple of minutes over when there's breaking news or an interview which overruns, but more often than not, they overrun because Piers fancies having going off-topic and having a bit of a rant and since they seem to revel in his unprofessional tabloid style because it generates social media chatter and drivel articles about 'fiery exchanges' and 'Piers BLASTING [whatever]', it carries on for as long as he wants, while the running order goes out the window.
For me, they really need to stop going for shock value and "look how cool and different we are" and start focussing on putting a half-decent reliable programme together.
